The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

Turn the Lights Down
Reducing the lights in your house as evening comes also gives your
baby the signal it’s time for sleep. Low lights quiet a baby’s nervous
system and prepare him to relax. Many hospital nurseries have an
evening routine of dimming the lights and covering the incubators of
premature babies to block the light and help them get into their parents’
day/night rhythm.
Mabel, the mother of four daughters, piqued my
curiosity when she mentioned that her pet theory about
the cause of colic was electricity! She said, “I noticed my
kids are more stimulated and have a harder time falling

---

asleep when we keep the house well lit in the evening. I
think the artificially long ‘daytime’ we create with electric
lights tricks them into believing it’s still time to play. Our
kids consistently sleep better when we dim the lights at
night or use candles.”
Room Sharing: “I Just Got Evicted … Can I Sleep at Your
Place?”
Thou shalt sleep with thy fathers.
Deuteronomy 31:16
Since mankind’s earliest days, parents and babies have slept right by
each other for mutual protection, warmth, and to make nighttime
feedings convenient. Japanese parents traditionally sleep with their baby
between them, safe as a valley protected by two great mountain ranges.
They don’t question whether a mother and infant should be together all
night; they consider themselves to be two parts of one person and
therefore they should be separated as little as possible. Mayan families
are very social and for them the shared bed is a time to be together.
These parents believe making their baby sleep alone is an unfair
hardship.

---

As recently as the late 1800’s, American children usually slept in bed
with their parents. However, at the start of the twentieth century, U.S.
parents were encouraged to stop sharing the bed. They were warned it
might spread illness, spoil children, or cause them to suffocate. So we
moved our babies to their own cribs, and eventually to their own rooms.
Today, Americans see our children’s sleep as a time for them to begin
learning about privacy and self-reliance. And some view sharing the
bedroom as a parental sacrifice or flirting with an unhealthy habit.
But the resistance to room sharing is finally changing as evidence
mounts that it’s actually good for babies.
The research on room sharing shows that not only is it a convenience
for feeding your baby (you don’t have to get out of your bed and toddle
down a cold hallway), but it is also safer. Studies show that during the
first four to six months, just having your baby in a bassinet next to your
bed reduces the risk of SIDS.
As breast-feeding continues its rise in popularity, nursing mothers
appreciate the cozy convenience of having their baby nearby.
Furthermore, non-European immigrants to the United States have
introduced a potpourri of cultural traditions—most of which encourage
the intimacy of room sharing.
Room sharing doesn’t always fit the needs and lifestyles of
contemporary parents. One mother in my practice said, “My husband

---

just can’t sleep well with our four-week-old in the room.” However,
many parents find they sleep more peacefully knowing their baby is
right next to their bed. And the white noise from the womb sound CD
often helps parents fall back to sleep faster after they give the baby a
feeding.
Sleeping right next to your baby is a natural continuation of the womb
experience. It provides him the reassuring sound of your breathing and
scent, and it helps mold his breathing and sleep pattern. Additionally,
after the rigors of pregnancy it’s an abrupt change for you to be far away
from your infant, connected by only an intercom. One mother who
worked long hours shared, “Sleeping with my baby in a co-sleeper next
to me lets me make up some time I couldn’t spend with her during the
day.”
Enjoy this sweet, fleeting opportunity of intimacy. If you plan to
eventually move your baby out of your bedroom, it’s easiest to do so by
five to six months of age, before he gets used to this bedtime routine.
You can still end room sharing after that time, but in general, the longer
you wait the tougher it is for your baby to make the switch.